Chair



Nov. 5, 1929.

L. H. MORIN I 1,734,144

Filed Feb. 1927' ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 5, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS H. moRm', on NEW YoRK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR To DOEI-ILER DIE-CASTING COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW.YORK

CHAIR Application filed February 9, 1927. Serial No.-166,836.

My invention has particular reference to articles of furniture which are intended to be sat upon, such as chairs or the like, although in certain respects my invention is applicable to other types of furniture. My invention is particularly advantageous as embodied in metal seats and since it is well illustrated in a metal chair, I shall use that embodiment as the illustration with which to explain my invention. I

Furniture is by its nature, as a rule, of con siderable bulk in proportion to its weight and it therefore occupies a considerable amount of space when packed for shipment in the erected condition. The trend has therefore been towards the construction of demountable, or knock-down, furniture, that is, furniture which may be dismantled without injury to the finish or fit of parts so that the various parts may be packed in much smaller compass, and upon receipt by the user may be assembled into a complete substantial article.

To an increasing extent metal is replacing wood as the material from which furniture is made, and the problems which arise in devising demountable or knock-down furniture are best solved in metal. The greater strength of metal permits the construction of parts which are of relatively small size and may be of graceful proportions without the sacrifice of a maximum of strength and firmness. It is desirable also that the parts of the furniture be suitable to packing in fiat containers, and metal parts are especially adapted for this purpose.

My invention utilizes these properties in a particularly advantageous way. By 1t, I provide suitable parts for the desired piece of furniture, such as a chair, and means at the joints between the various parts, such as between the legs and the seat, as Well as between the back and the seat, whereby the various members are firmly attached in the cooperating relation and are especially adapted to support the strain which is applied to the joints during the course of usage. Another feature of my invention is the fact that the parts are very light, substantially as light as the corresponding parts of wooden furniture of the same type. This lightness I obtain by the use of parts of hollow section, formed from such materials as tubes or angle members.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a member which may desirably be formed of metal tubing bent into an inverted U shape, which is adapted to form the rear legs and the back member of a chair. This may be called the main member. Another member consists of a rectangular piece,

desirably formed of metal angle-bar section,-

which is adapted to serve as the seat frame of a chair, which has bracket members adapted to engagement with the tubular back member, and has leg sockets at the front. Two

front leg members are also provided, which are desirably hollow and which-are equipped with plug portions at the upper ends adapted to engagement with the sockets on the seat member. The respective parts are desirably held in proper relationship by means of bolts or screws. Additional strength may desirably be provided in the back member portion by the inclusion of solid inserts or filler members within the tubular portions, at points of maximum stress, which are adapted to engage with the bolts which attach the seat member to the back member. The socket attachment of the front leg members preferably provides a wedge fit which will retain the front legs against ordinary usage, but additional supporting means, consisting of suitable screws, are desirably provided for more substantial fastening. A filler member such as a cushion, or a cane back, is desirably provided, cooperating with the main back member. This may consist of a subframe to which a cushion or a woven cane panel, or other support is attached, which may be inserted Within the back frame by springing the ends of it apart, inserting the subframe, and cushion or caning, and releasing the ends. The natural elasticity thereof provides substantial pressure against the subframe and it is accordingly held firmly in place. Additional pressure may conveniently be provided by the insertion of the bolts holding the seat member to the back member. A very stout piece of furniture is thus provided which is light in weight, of graceful proportions, and

which is demountable into relativel small,

flat parts suitable for convenient pac ing for shipment, and is readily reassembled by the user.

Other features and advantages of my invention will appear'from the following description. I shall now describe the illustrated embodiment of my invention and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Fig. 1 is a front view of the assembled metal parts comprising a preferred embodiment of my invention in a chair;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same embodiment;

Fig.3 is a perspective view of portions of the seat frame member and back member of my invention showing the method of attachment;

Fi 4 is a perspective view of a front leg mem er of the same embodiment, and

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of a seat frame member.

The illustrated chair is made of metal, the several sections being respectively of cast metal and of drawn metal. There are desirably six sections as shown, these being a back member, seat frame, front legs, seat cushion and back cushion. The back member 1 may desirably be made of drawn metal tubing, which in the embodiment illustrated, is of rectangular section with one side grooved. Alternatively the back member may be formed of other material by other convenient processes. In the embodiment shown, the back member has the shape of an inverted U with a substantial curvature in the plane of the sides as indicated in Fig. 2. The grooved side of the tube faces between the sides of the member. A seat frame member 2 is provided which is desirably formed as a rectangle with flat top and sides. It is desirably made of cast metal, such as a diecasting, in an angle bar section as indicated in Fig. 3. The seat member is provided with bracket members 3 at the rear corners which are adapted to cooperate with the back member 1, and with socket members 4 at the front corners. These sockets as shown are desirably of triangular shape with curved corners and are desirably tapered from top to bottom. The bracket members 3 are provided with holes 5 as indicated, through which bolts 6 enter.

The bolts 6 are adapted to cooperate with filler members 7 which are inserted within the tubular back member 1. These filler members 7 have the form of the interior of the drawn tubing and desirably make a fairly snug fit therein. They are drilled and tapped to cooperate with the bolt 6 and provide sufiic-ient strength of metal to allow of a substantial clamping effect by the bolts. They also rovide additional strength in the back memher at the point.of maximum stress, where the seat member is attached.

Front leg members 8 as shown in Fig.- 4 are provided. These members are desirably although not necessarily of cast metal-such as die-castings and are desirably made in a hollow form with plug members 9 at the u per ends, adapted to cooperate with the soc ets 4 upon the front corners of the seat member. The plug members 9 are provided with bolt holes 11 and the seat member 2 is provided with tapped bolt holes 12. Bolts 14 are provided cooperating with the holes 11 and 12 for securin the leg members 8 in place.

A back cus ion member 15 is provided which may desirably consist of a subframe 16 within which is positioned a filler 17 which may be of woven cane as in the illustrated embodiment or may be a fabric cushion, such as velvet, or cretonne, or other desirable material.

Alternatively, the filler 17 may be formed of a sheet of metal, which may, if desired, be suitably embossed or perforated. It may, if desired, be embossed with an one of a variety of artistic designs, or may e embossed and perforated in imitation of woven cane. Similarly a seat cushion member 18 is provided and positioned upon the seat frame 2 in any convenient way. This cushion may be formed of material in a suitable match with the material forming the back cushion member 17, such as velvet, cretonne, woven cane, etc. Or, alternatively if it is not necessary that the seat cushion b chair is used for auditorium purposes or for dining room purposes, the seat as well may be formed of a sheet of embossed or perforated metal.

The seat cushion may be formed and attached by any one of a number of convenient methods. It may conveniently consist of a base member 19 which may desirably be a piece of thin wood, such as ply wood, or other suitable material, or may if desired be sheet metal. Upon the foundation member 19 may be placed .a cushion filler 20 which may con sist of any suitable padding material, such as curled hair, excelsior, or suitable springs. The cushion cover 21 may, as previously described, consist of suitable fabric to match the back cushion member 17. It is of course obvious that if a padded cushion is constructed, the previously suggested sheet metal seat is inapplicable, except in the event that it forms the foundation member. The cushe soft, as may be the case if the is also a unitary part, formed of material having a section ada ted to the production of maximum strengt and lightness. The seat member is attached by large and stout bolts to the reinforced point of the back member. Additional strength is provided in the seat member by the brackets 3 which are of suflicient length to minimize the effect of leverage at the point of attachment. The front members likewise are of a shape providing the maximum strength and lightness, and are very firmly attached.

' My device has been described as in the assembled state. It is readily disassembled, by the removal of the six screws. The removal of the screws 14 permits the removal of the front leg members. These legs are held in place to a certain extent by a wedging action within the sockets 4. They are, however, readily removed therefrom by suitable twisting and pulling movement. The seat member 2 is then detachable from the main back member 1 by the removal of the bolts 6. The inner members 7 remain in place by virtue of a rather snug fit in the tubular member 1. For shipping, the seat member 2 may be packed within the curve of the back member 1, and the front legs may be stowed between the back legs.' In this way a flat, compact package is formed of a chair which is adaptable to enclosure in a flat packing case and to shipment in a minimum space. Assembly of the chair is conveniently performed by similar operations in reverse sequence to those for demounting, the seat member being bolted in place by insertion of the bolt 6, and the front leg members attached by insertion of the bolts 14, whereafter the chair is ready for use as a complete piece of furniture.

By the device of my invention I have thus provided a piece of furniture which is adapted to be formed of metal parts, which is readily demountable into substantially flat members, and readily packed for shipment in a small space, which is of exceptional strength, rlwgedness and rigidity, and which is of light graceful lines.

It is obvious that other modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described without departing from the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

' 1. A chair or the like comprisin a tubular main member having a groove side, an additional member attached thereto, inforcing means at said point of attachment my signature.

and re-' gated bearingsurfaces for engaging the back piece and threaded means passing through the same and engagin said fillers.

In witness whereo I hereunto subscribe LOUIS H. MORIN.

comprising'a solid strengthening means reed dperforation in said strengthening means. an

a clamping bolt inserted therein. 2. A knock down chair comprising a U 

